Humble Beginings
by toosiriusforyou
Summary: Love, as it is with any other kind of feeling, requires neither a spectacular place nor an extraordinary circumstance for it to begin.


Hi there!

So… I finally plucked up some courage to join the FFN world. I'm excited and nervous but mostly nervous.

I know this story is weird. So's the writer. Please bear with me. I will love you forever.

Ann x

Disclaimer: Queen Rowling owns all characters, of course, apart from that oddball Athena McGonagall and all others mentioned… whose names do not sound familiar? Oh, you'll figure it out.

* * *

"No."

"Oh come on."

"Not in a million years."

"Now you sound just like Lily."

That earned him a smack on his arm, which he found more humorous than painful, seeing how she actually put effort into that. His laughter earned him an even harder smack, which made him laugh harder than the first time and made her frown at him.

"I hate you," she said grumpily, folding her arms as though such action would protect her from his laughter.

"We both know you don't," he replied cockily as he wound an arm around her shoulder.

His auburn-haired companion, then, faced him with the most disdainful look she could muster at the moment. You'd think that after all those instances when she had to fake her contempt, she'd have gotten the hang of it by now. However, both of them knew that, at least this time, she was having a very difficult time doing it. And, truth be told, it was all his fault. Why did he have that stupid grin on his frustratingly gorgeous face anyway? Why was it so damn contagious? And why, oh why, did she even agree to be left alone with him?

With raised eyebrows and still folded arms, she regarded him sardonically. Or, at least, half-way towards it.

"Do I look like I don't?" she asked.

"Well, you always give me that face," he began, squishing her face as he cupped it with his hands, "So I've learned to look past it and see your undying love for me instead," he said smugly.

"I'm not riding that thing!" she exclaimed quite unclearly, pointing at a current dilemma while setting aside the other.

Reluctantly, he let her face go and set his hands on her shoulders instead. Being a lot taller than she was, he had to bow more than just a little to stare into her hazel eyes with his distinct grey ones properly. To complete the persuasive ensemble, he softened his tone.

"A, you can make Slytherin pricks piss themselves with a wave of your wand and can score a goal past their hideous Keeper with your eyes closed. How can you be so afraid of a fucking roller coaster?"

Frowning, she trained her eyes away from his face to look up at the huge snake-like, loopy ride in front of them. Her eyes focused on the ride worriedly as her mind began to play different accidents that could occur, all of which ending in the coaster tragically leaving its designated railway, disassembling, and taking every passenger, including Athena McGonagall and Sirius Black, with it in its downfall.

"Athena?"

"I know I should focus on the very rare sincere-sounding compliments from you but I can't when I'm staring at this deathtrap some idiot thought would be nice to place as an amusement park's greatest attraction," she replied distractedly.

"The 'greatest attraction's' actually a ferry's wheel and you didn't want to ride it either. What is it with amusement park rides that get your knickers in a twist?"

"Don't talk about my knickers, please. I'm disgusted with you as it is," she sighed. "I'm starting to believe that I shouldn't have backed out of watching the horror movie. At least the deaths there are fictional."

"Do you really think I'm going to let you die? We haven't even snogged yet!"

"Oh, shut up."

"Really! I'm planning to make you eat all your sarcastic remarks by the time I'm done snogging the hell out of you."

"Not listening."

"Seriously, Athena," he began in a deadpan manner. "You're not dying. I'm not letting you."

"But I've heard about this contraption before!" she exclaimed. "They say it starts off with actual energy from the machines and whatever Muggle stuff powers it but the rest is up to science! I don't trust science."

"What about me? Don't you trust me? Your favourite person ever?" he asked, giving her his signature puppy dog eyes.

Athena thought of no better response to that, however, than a straight face. And a straight face was what Sirius got.

"Alright," he said with an eye roll. "Answer this then: how is it worse than flying?"

"How is it worse than– " she started to say, ending with a shake of her head. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "You know how. This is science. We have… you-know-what."

"Sex?"

"How– Ugh!" she groaned, pushing him away with a look of disgust as he laughed. "Everything is about sex with you, isn't it?"

"Yes. Which is why I'm perfect. I'm devilishly handsome _and_ I won't complain as long as I get sex," he said proudly.

"You're pathetic."

"And you can't ride a single amusement park ride."

"So?"

" _You're_ pathetic," he beamed.

"Shut up. Anyway, as for your question, another reason is that when we fly, we're always in the presence of adults fully capable of mending broken bones or preventing us from falling in the first place. Do you see any of them here? No? Neither do I, Black."

"We didn't have those in Prongs's place. Remember last summer–"

"Yes, we did. We had the… 'household helpers' around. They were watching from afar. I can't believe you didn't see them. And I do remember last summer. _Vividly_ ," she said, stretching the last word meaningfully.

"Hey, it was Prongs who said we should leave you in the house and you looked so peaceful and cute and non-lethal, sleeping on the couch," he cooed, giving her cheek a light pinch while she scrunched her nose at him and swatted his hand away. "I just couldn't wake you."

"So you decided to see The Rolling Stones perform without me. Great," she said, shaking her head as she started walking again after a momentary pause to stare at one of the oh-so-lovely things that represented what fun meant for Sirius. "Yeah, I definitely would have chosen sleep over that. You know, if I was given a choice."

"You really are good at holding grudges, aren't you?"

"One of my many talents," she agreed, giving him a small salute.

Grabbing her arm, Sirius stopped Athena in her tracks. "Hold up. Where are you going?"

"Buying ice cream?" she smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Sorry, lady, I'm just not easily distracted," with an arm around her, he led her back towards the queue for the roller coaster.

"Oh but you are at school!" she whined.

"Well, yes, when it's boring or when you think it's funny to throw paper balls at my head."

"Oh shush. That was payback for doing it to me earlier," she replied, looking around to look for something to distract him with. "Hey, that bird's fit."

"Nope. Not working."

"But she really is!" she insisted.

"Shut up, Athena."

"Suit yourself. You're missing out here!"

Without warning, Sirius stopped walking and turned to her with an indecipherable look on his face. She returned his gaze with wide eyes, wondering what the hell he was thinking about and what the hell he was doing, both of which she has never figured out before anyway.

"I don't usually do this, Goddess, but I'll make an exception for you," he said, taking her hand in his and inwardly noting that she did not make a move to let go.

"Do what?" she asked, realising that holding his hand wasn't all that bad.

Leaning towards her, he tucked her hair behind her ear and let his fingers linger longer than necessary on her cheek. He pressed his lips to her ear and could have sworn that he heard her take a sharp intake of breath the moment he did. He allowed himself a moment to take pleasure in her fragrance, their proximity, and the fact that he, Sirius Black, could unsettle Athena McGonagall, and not out of something she found so repulsive.

"Ice cream's on me," he finally whispered, breaking the silence.

Disappointment, however unwelcome and difficult to explain, filled Athena as she slowly let go of his hand. Gradually, she found just enough drive to force an obligatory smile to her features.

"And root beer float?" she whispered back.

"And root beer float," he agreed.

"And cheeseburger?"

"And hotdogs too if you want."

"Fine. But you'll answer to my mother if I die," she relented as she tried to subtly distance herself from him.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, copying her small salute as he noticed.

"And you'll deal with my post-roller coaster trauma."

"Yep."

"And you won't tell anyone if I accidentally hold your hand."

"Of course. Anything else you want to hold 'accidentally?'"

"And you'll let me scream," she continued, ignoring and adding to his innuendo at the same time.

"Oh, baby, scream all you want," he replied with a smirk, his voice taking a seductive tone.

"Oh, baby, you have no idea what you're signing up for," she mimicked his tone. "Come on, then."

She, then, pulled him by the arm to line up for the ride and he, grinning, made no protest.

* * *

"I still don't understand why you didn't just ride it on your own."

Sat on a park bench, Athena, holding an ice cream cone, and Sirius, holding Athena's gigantic stuffed penguin they won ages ago it seemed, rested after having quite an eventful day. Having gone on two more rides on the roller coaster, moving on to the ferry's wheel, playing minigames at different booths, lining up for food several times, and feasting on Sirius' promised cheeseburgers, fries, hotdogs, and root beer floats tired out (and pleased) the two more than they expected.

"And I still don't understand why you chose vanilla over chocolate," Sirius remarked. "Who does that?"

"A clumsy someone who loves chocolate but is afraid of getting messy."

"Oh, but I like messy," he teased.

Athena stopped eating for a moment only to poke her tongue out at Sirius in reply, before going back to devouring her ice cream. Sirius watched her with a smile, his amusement etched on his features.

"Merlin, that was good," she mused out loud. When she looked up, she noticed his expression, making her brows furrow in confusion. "What are you so happy about?"

"You," he replied, much to Athena's short-lived, inwardly-questioned, and well-repressed bliss. "You never stop eating, do you?"

"You make my appetite sound so disgusting," she rolled her eyes. "I just don't see why I shouldn't make the most out of something you offered so freely."

Before Sirius could counter with inappropriate things he has been offering so freely for quite some time, what was supposed to be the beginning of another of their senseless banters was interrupted by a familiar male voice behind him.

"You two had fun?"

Athena's smile was instant the moment her eyes fell on James Potter, but not because of the reason everyone who did not know them well enough thought. After all, despite a lot of people seeing them as lovers, they weren't; they shared the bond of siblings for they kind of almost were. And, after all, not every kind of love has to be non-platonic for it to be considered real.

Sirius, on the other hand, gave James a grin that told him all he needed to know – that he had the time of his life and was very thankful to have been left alone with his almost-sister.

"I'm _very_ well-fed and well-informed on how his reckless mind works so I'm great," she said.

"I made her scream and hold me so me too," he grinned.

Seeing the look on his face, she added, "We rode a roller coaster, Potter! No need to look so alarmed!"

James rolled his eyes at them and was just about to inform them about whatever it was that bugged him so much and what, exactly, he thought about their annoying replies. However, as soon as the sound of Lily Evans's unmistakable laugh reached his ears, he turned to look at her instead, with eyes filled with awe he somehow forgot to mask, much to Athena and Sirius's entertainment. They waved at her and her other elated-looking companions – Mary MacDonald, Marlene McKinnon, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew – who were walking towards them.

"And how was your day?" Sirius asked with mock concern as he snapped James out of his reverie.

"Yours sounds way better," he grumbled. "She didn't speak one word to me."

"How could she? You watched a _horror movie_ ," she sneered, as though that was _obviously_ the very reason why such predicament existed in the first place.

"Actually, we watched horror _movies._ And bitter doesn't look good on you," he countered. "But, really, I don't understand why. I've been nice to her even though she hasn't spoken to me in ages, made fewer comments you think are inappropriate ("Which they are," Athena remarked.), and let's not forget how I haven't done or said anything to Snivelly in months!"

"And that's the problem, James," Athena said seriously. "Sure, you might have done all those things you seem to find _really_ amazing but Lily doesn't owe you anything in return for the improvement of your character."

"That's my girl," Sirius said in amusement, chuckling.

"No, 'that's' not," she retorted.

"And that's how I know she's my girl," he said proudly.

" _Anyway,_ Lily's got a lot on her plate now. Give her time and be patient, okay? If you can't, and I find you trying to force her hand again, I'll be too embarrassed to introduce you to my new friend Gisella Wright, a.k.a. best Chaser in the world, as my amazing almost-brother," she teased, before turning her attention to her best friend who was now close enough to converse with. "Hi, Alien."

"Hey," Lily greeted Athena and Sirius brightly. Very slightly, her expression shifted to confusion upon noticing their looks of content. "You look like you two had fun."

"We did. No need to look so surprised," Sirius replied.

"Athena?"

"We did," she confirmed. "I was so nervous at first but I had the best ride of my entire life and I screamed so loud and he got dizzy afterwards and I got free everything!"

"Do you think she knows how suggestive that sounded?" Mary asked a grinning Marlene.

"Judging by how much time we've been making them spend with each other, I think she does."

With that, the incredibly strange group by Muggle standards departed from the amusement park, led by Athena who wanted to get to The Three Broomsticks in time for dinner, while insisting that they should ride a Muggle bus, walk for a bit, then, take the Knight Bus for her pureblood companions to "attain the full experience." It was at the said pub that they were supposed to meet a grumpy post-Pureblood wedding attendee, Emmeline Vance, her too optimistic cousin Hestia, and Hestia's plus-one, the apparently dashing Castor Travers.

The seating arrangement in the bus made everyone but James happy. Sirius, at his insistence, got his way and sat beside Athena. A row behind them, Marlene and Mary, who also got their way, sat beside each other. Across the ladies were Remus and Lily with Peter and James in front of them.

James, who was grumpy both from Lily's silent treatment and from his reaction towards it, remained silent as the bus covered distance. His seatmate's snoring was very indicative, for all of the wide-awake passengers in the first few rows, that he had already dozed off. Before Lily, on the other hand, could ask Remus about what he thought of the last film, she found out that her seatmate had already fallen asleep as well, though a lot quieter than Peter. Looking around, she discovered that Marlene and Mary were deep in conversation while holding a copy of Witch Weekly (charmed so that the photos on it would not move), Sirius was asleep with his arm around Athena, and Athena was also asleep while leaning on Sirius' shoulder.

"Potter?"

James jumped slightly at the sound of Lily's voice behind him. If asked about it, Lily would probably say she was surprised to have talked to him first too. What she would not say, however, is that she had been thinking about how to begin an actual conversation with him for a while. James, on the other hand, would probably say he saw it coming all along. However, truth be told, he was even more surprised than Lily, and was just quite good at putting on a look of slightly convincing indifference only Sirius could see as a mask for something else.

"Yeah?"

"Remus is asleep."

"Mm. So is Wormtail," he jerked his head towards him.

"So that gives me no choice but talk to you before I die of boredom, right? It's a matter of life and death."

"Well, I am touched, Evans," he turned to look at her with a grin. "Always your first choice, eh?"

"Just go with it."

"Alright," he said, glancing at the sleeping pair across him. "I really don't know what I feel about Padfoot having his arm around Athena, probably copping a feel."

"Oh, you know he won't do that."

"He might," he said darkly. "You obviously haven't heard him talk about her 'gorgeous long legs.'"

"And how amazing they'll feel around him? I have. Multiple times," she said with a soft laugh.

"Damn him."

"Says the guy who comments on mine every time I wear a short skirt."

"That's different."

"How is that different?"

"For starters, he's _Sirius_!"

"Yes, and he obviously likes Athena so let them be."

"I just don't want to see her get hurt," he said quietly, sounding like the words very unwillingly came out of his mouth.

"Aww. Look at you, being human and having feelings," she teased.

 _Oh, if she only knew._ "So you're not worried?"

"He makes her happy, no matter how much she denies it. That's good enough for me," she said with a shrug. James, however, felt that there was more to it than she was letting on. "What about Sirius? You're not worried about him?"

"Oh please," he waved his hand dismissively. "She's _Athena_. She wouldn't hurt a gnome. Literally. She found one last summer and named it 'Tuff,' pestering me over and over to tell the house elves to be careful with it."

James's story earned Lily's laugh, which he enjoyed so much, especially since it came as a result something he said. For the rest of the ride, he told her other stories, mostly of times when either Sirius or Athena were at the Potters. He explained the whole "almost-sister" thing that Athena never explained properly before, that she was almost adopted by James's mother. Lily, on the other hand, told him about her sister's boyfriend and his very anti-extraordinary family, her loveably odd grandfather who would have been delighted about learning that she's a witch, and how her parents make it a point for her to celebrate her birthday at home during the summer break, despite being born in January. They asked each other about things they weren't familiar with like what James's father did in the Ministry and how Lily's family managed without magic ("You don't listen at all in Muggle Studies, do you?"). Marlene and Mary, who, at some point, noticed the two talking, let them be as they turned their conversation towards the road the former did not want to take – her recent breakup with Gideon Prewett, the cause of which no one seemed to have figured out. Athena and Sirius awoke silently at some point but pretended to be asleep for neither wanted to move away from the other. Peter remained asleep (Remus pretended to be the same for James' sake) until it was almost time for them to get off the bus.

* * *

"How was your sleep, Goddess?"

"None of your business, Black."

"You were snuggling against me."

"And you had your arm around me."

"If you're suggesting that I was copping a feel, you're very wrong."

"I didn't say anything along those lines."

"There's nothing to feel!"

"What– Ugh."

"I was kidding! We both know there is!"

"You're disgusting and rude and how do you even know that?"

"I have gorgeous eyes and great eyesight?"

"I'm not talking to you!"

"You just did!"

Athena stormed off crossly, with Sirius shouting his defense while following behind her. Meanwhile, the remainder of the group walked behind them, laughing at how they managed to begin a fight barely three minutes after they woke up. Remus and Peter talked about the latter's nightmare wherein Athena and Lily chased and fired all sorts of hexes at him while the other Marauders simply laughed and said, "You did earn it, Wormtail." Marlene, seizing the chance to steer her conversation with Mary towards another direction, sighed in feigned disappointment about how it looked like Athena would not be her sister-in-law after all, and commented about how they had two friends who were going to have to swallow their words about never going out with certain someones sooner rather than later. She trained her gaze from Athena and Sirius, who were still arguing from a distance, to Lily and James, who conversed quietly with each other.

"So… They're wide awake. I guess that means we're not talking again?" James asked, unable to help himself both from doing so and from revealing a hint of disappointment.

"Depends on whether you want to talk or not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means," Lily smiled. "Besides, you're not a bad storyteller. You might want to make a career out of it."

"And get pranked by a thirteen-year old for smoking at the lawn? Nah, I'll pass," he grinned.

"Well, I did say 'make a career out of it,' not 'be the editor-in-chief of The Daily Prophet and attend a huge party at an arrogant toerag's house,'" she said sweetly.

"Hey! In my defense, we did tell him that smoking wasn't allowed in the grounds."

"And yet you smoke all the time."

"Not _all_ the time. And I know when I shouldn't," he proclaimed proudly.

"So, you think you _should_ in campus?"

He shrugged and grinned at her smugly in reply, earning an eye roll, that was surprisingly good-natured, from Lily.

"Black, if you talk about my legs one more time–"

"Fine. I'll talk about something else," he sighed dramatically. "Have I ever mentioned how much I like your eyes? They express so much more of your many feelings than that perfect mouth of yours."

Athena groaned in frustration and, turning to face Sirius, asked exasperatedly, "How do I get you to stop?"

"Easy," he grinned. "You simply have to–"

Sirius was cut off by a high-pitched scream that seemed to have pierced through all of them. He watched as Athena stiffened and paled, her look of annoyance being replaced by one of horror. He heard his friends suddenly halt their conversations and stop walking as well behind him, all in a state of shock. From afar, he witnessed a domino effect of terror take hold – the sound of kids wailing, the sight of explosions turning the little village they decided to pass through into a raging inferno, the bellow of nauseating screaming from people trying to flee in panic, and, finally, the sinister spectacle of an unmistakable symbol, a green skull with a snake protruding from its mouth, taking what it seemed to believe was its rightful place in the sky. From afar, they suddenly found themselves becoming witnesses to something else that had decided to have its own beginning on that same day, one that did not care at all for humility or humanity, one that seemed to sincerely promise pervasive chaos, ruin, and fear for all that stood in its way.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

Please read and review. You'd really be helping a certain aspiring weirdo writer (of fanfiction, at least) if you do.

Ann x


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